Magicshine’s Seemee lineup of taillights offers everything from budget friendly commuter taillights to high-tech daytime bright taillights. The new Seemee 400 takes the reign as the brightest taillight in the Seemee lineup with an impressive 400 lumen output and additional ANT+ and BLE support. Despite the increased output and connectivity, the Magicshine Seemee 400 retains an affordable $64.99 retail price. The Seemee 400 has the same exterior as the Seemee 300 with two focused LEDs, a COB LED outer ring and the downward facing OptiTracing LED to light up the ground. With the new ANT+ and BLE support, you can pair the Seemee 400 to a GPS head unit or to Magicshine’s FTR LightSync remote for synchronized power on/off.
The Magicshine Seemee 400 takes the Seemee 300 and adds more output and ANT+ and FTR LightSync connectivity features.
| Retail Price | $64.99 |
| Rating | 9.4 / 10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 79 (taillight), 13 (seatpost mount), 6 (saddle rail mount) |
| Likes | + Impressive output for the size of the taillight + Modern connectivity to FTR LightSync remote or GPS head units + Simple output modes and battery status checker |
| Dislikes | – OptiTracing LED cannot be disabled |
| Where to Buy (US) | Magicshine 15% OFF coupon code: “TheSweetCyclists” |
UNBOXING
The Magicshine Seemee 400 comes in a small cardboard box with a glossy graphic of the taillight printed on it and specs on the side and rear. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Seemee 400 taillight
- Seatpost mount
- Saddle rail mount + optional 2x zip ties
- USB-C charging cable
- User manual
Magicshine includes everything you need to mount and start using the taillight right out of the box.
MOUNTING
Magicshine has utilized their standard miniaturized quarter turn Garmin mount for the Seemee 400. It’s the same twist-on style mount that you’ll find in almost all the Seemee taillights. The design uses two tabs that securely lock into place for rattle free mounting that is easy to install and remove. With the Seemee 400, Magicshine includes a seatpost mount and a plastic saddle rail mount. The seatpost mount has a thick rubber backing with multiple cutouts that can be used with round or aero seatposts. Similarly, the saddle rail mount slides over saddle rails to place the taillight directly underneath the saddle. It’s a great option for riders that do not use saddlebags as you can not use most saddlebags with the saddle rail mount at the same time.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Magicshine Seemee 400 taillight is almost identical to the existing Seemee 300 model. It’s actually the exact same dimensions and same LED design with two focused LEDs and a COB LED outer stripe. The only difference on the exterior compared to the Seemee 300 are the Seemee 400 graphics on the sides. Magicshine has even used the same 1600mAh internal battery but were able to make internal improvements to achieve the higher output and connectivity. It’s a fairly chunky taillight compared to other Seemee models with a rectangular profile that is 64 x 32 x 35 mm (i.e. 2.5 x 1.26 x 1.38 inches). The body is constructed from aluminum with a black finish and rounded edges.
As with the Seemee 300, the Seemee 400 has a distinctive multi LED design that looks clear when it is off and red when it is turned on. This taillight even has the OptiTracing LED which is a downward facing LED that lights up the road under your bike. One of the new features of the Seemee 400 is ANT+ connectivity to view and control the taillight via GPS head units as well as BLE connectivity for the FTR LightSync control. Note, you cannot use both ANT+ and the BLE connectivity which makes sense as FTR LightSync is redundant to GPS light control.
One of the most distinctive features of the Seemee 400 is the LED design that is shared with the Seemee 300. You have two focused LEDs placed in a column for long distance visibility with clear lenses. Then there is a COB LED outer stripe that looks transparent but actually reflects the LEDs when the light is on. It’s an eye-catching design that looks great with the light on or off. There is also an additional downward facing OptiTrace LED that lights up the ground beneath the light for 360 degree visibility. You cannot disable this LED but it is automatically turned off in daytime flash and eco flash modes to extend the runtime.
USER INTERFACE
The Magicshine Seemee 400 is controlled via a single rubber button on top of the light. It has a backlight that is either green (over 21%), red (11-21%) or flashing red (under 10%) to indicate the battery status. The design isn’t as intuitive as the Seemee 50 Pro’s multi-LED design but it’s easy to use and you can press the button with the light off to check the status. A single press of the button with the taillight on will cycle through the five available light modes with built-in memory that stores the last active state.
Magicshine also lets you toggle the brake sensing function on or off by pressing and then pressing again and holding the button for 3 seconds with the taillight on. A solid blue light indicates the function is on, while flashing blue means it is off. There is also a lock out mode option that is useful for traveling to prevent the taillight from turning on accidentally which is toggled by holding the button for 3 seconds with the taillight off.
LIGHT OUTPUT
Magicshine has programmed the Seemee 400 with five output modes: two constant options and three flash options. Unlike the Seemee 300, there is no ambient light sensor which means all the modes are manual with no “smart mode” option. The two constant modes are low (15 lumen / 19 hr runtime) and high (90 lumen / 8.5 hr). There is a night flash that ramps up and down between 45 to 75 lumen with 8.5 hr runtime. Daytime flash unlocks the full 400 lumen output with an impressive 18 hr runtime. Finally, there is a eco flash option that is 30 lumen and achieves the maximum 107 hr runtime. The downward OptiTracing LED is turned off for daytime flash and eco flash modes.
In the constant modes the OptiTracing LED flashes, while in night flash it stays constant. There is no way to fully disable the OptiTracing LED which is an option that could be helpful to extend the runtime. With the brake sensor enabled, the taillight automatically switches to a bright constant mode for a few seconds. As with other Seemee taillights it works well but has the usual false positives which is why we generally turn it off to extend the taillight runtimes. Otherwise, we were happy to use the new FTR LightSync connectivity that makes it even easier to turn a Magicshine headlight, like the Hori 1300, and the Seemee 400 on and off with a single button press.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Magischine Seemee 400 to be a brighter and more feature filled Seemee bike taillight. Magicshine has taken the Seemee 300 and improved internal hardware to boost the output to an even brighter 400 lumens while adding ANT+ and BLE for FTR LightSync connectivity. While the light looks the same from the exterior, with the same OptiTracing downward facing LED, the new connectivity features make it easier to integrate with GPS computers and the FTR LightSync remote. We were impressed with the daytime flash pattern and the unique multi LED and COB LED lens design. The only downsides we’d point out is that the OptiTracing LED cannot be fully disabled. That said, the Magicshine Seemee 400 is an impressive bike taillight that has modern connectivity features.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Magicshine. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.